There is no doubt that, in general, Newmarket’s G3 Craven S. has lost much of its former relevance as a 2000 Guineas trial, but in the last two years it has enjoyed a revival with winners Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) going close in the mile Classic. Godolphin and Charlie Appleby have another leading man this time in the GI Summer S. and G3 Prix Francois Boutin scorer Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), but the one that really catches the eye is Shadwell’s Kempton novice winner Mostabshir (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}). A half-brother to the G1 Falmouth S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. heroine Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire) and four-time group winner Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the John and Thady Gosden-trained grey is tested earlier than that pair with extra precocity from the sire.
“They’ve all been happy with him at home, so with the season starting we need to know where we are with him,” Angus Gold said. “He’s still entered in the Guineas and I’m imagining that will come too quick for him, but let’s see how we get on Thursday. He’s the least experienced in the field and it will tell us a lot more in terms of his class and the track and all those things. It’s a learning curve.”
The Case For Chaldean…
He may not be running until Saturday, but Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is indirectly involved in the Craven with Indestructible (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) just half a length behind Juddmonte’s leading 2000 Guineas contender in York’s G3 Acomb S. and 3 1/2 lengths in arrears in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster, where Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was behind. Now with Karl Burke, Amo Racing’s big Guineas hope is up to a mile for the first time and racing and operations manager Tom Pennington believes that will see improvement.
“His pedigree suggests he will get a mile and he got seven furlongs well last year as a two-year-old,” he said. “The form is there. He has to make the improvement from two to three, but he definitely has the scope to do that and the form is in the book so he will be a nice three-year-old going forward hopefully.”
King Power’s course-and-distance G2 Royal Lodge S. winner The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) will provide Chaldean’s trainer Andrew Balding with more of an idea where he stands ahead of the May 6 Classic, while Isa Salman Al Khalifa’s G3 Horris Hill S. third Ancestral Land (GB) (Sioux Nation) can not be left out of equations.
“His whole demeanour gives us the impression he will get a mile and we hope that will be possible,” trainer Clive Cox said. “I trained his dam to win over five furlongs, but he is a horse that has done exceptionally well physically and he hit the line well over seven last year.”
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